While Asia's two largest economies shadow-box in the East China Sea, unresolved territorial claims in resources-rich waters immediately south are complicating oil and gas developments aimed at meeting the region's rising energy needs.

Supply-side tensions vying with a softer global macroeconomic outlook will cloud the direction in benchmark oil markets next week though key U.S. data releases may help set the tone, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Oil prices will likely gain this week after Friday’s forecast-beating U.S. jobs report though any rally may fade quickly as one month’s data will do little to ease broader concerns about an anemic recovery in the world’s largest economy, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

The surge in grain prices amid the worst drought in the U.S. in more than half a century, has led to livestock farmers demanding the Obama administration reduce or temporarily cancel a federal mandate, which requires part of the corn crop be set aside to produce ethanol for blending into cleaner-burning gasoline.

Oil prices will likely gain this week on expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve may announce additional stimulus to help boost an anemic recovery in the world's largest economy while markets are looking towards the European Central Bank to suppress unsustainably high sovereign borrowing costs in Spain and Italy, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s highly influential oil minister is once again the center of attention at OPEC's meeting this week, with reporters hanging on every word from a man some describe as the ‘Central Banker of Oil’.

Benchmark oil prices may trade within a tight range this week as participants wait for the outcome of a repeat Greek election on June 17 and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting to decide production policy on Thursday in Vienna, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Despite slowing growth momentum in China, demand for natural gas is expected to remain robust in Asia and will be enough to absorb the additional supply coming in from North America, several industry players told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Benchmark oil prices will continue sliding to fresh lows this week unless policymakers in Europe, China, and the U.S. “put a floor” under the market and do more to stabilize economic growth, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Benchmark oil prices will continue sliding to fresh lows this week unless policymakers in Europe, China, and the U.S. “put a floor” under the market and do more to stabilize economic growth, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Oil prices will likely extend losses for a fifth-straight week as fears about a Greek exit from the euro zone and Spain's banking system continue to trigger outflows from riskier assets, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil market sentiment.

Oil prices are set to extend declines as uncertainty persists over the euro zone's future, growth slows in China and the dollar rises. But international talks in Baghdad scheduled on Wednesday around Iran's nuclear program may contain losses if the country's leadership resists pressure to curb uranium enrichment, CNBC's weekly survey showed.

A release of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to counter rising oil prices would be irresponsible, Francisco Blanch, head of global commodity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch told CNBC on Monday.